Trump pick for Education Secretary advances in Senate

Posted: 7:33 am Friday, February 3rd, 2017

By Jamie Dupree

In session before the sun was up on Friday, the U.S. Senate voted along party lines to shut off debate on the nomination of Betsy DeVos to be Secretary of Education in a Trump Administration, moving her one step closer to joining President Trump’s Cabinet early next week.

While two Republicans, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, are ready to vote against DeVos, they stuck with the GOP this morning on this procedural vote, as Democrats tried in vain to use a filibuster to block the DeVos nomination.

“The nominee for the Secretary of Education is one of the worst that has ever been brought before this body for a Cabinet position,” said Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), as Democrats have zeroed in on DeVos’s education record.